Tuesday, August 23, 2016

June 14 - August 21, 2016

These days we find picture posts work the best as it keeps a history going of what we are doing day to day. It allows us to say a little without sharing too much about life with 130 missionaries. President and Sister Young do a great job with the missionaries and we are grateful everyday to have the opportunity to serve and work with them. We also love Vitoria, particularly in the southern hemisphere winter. The weather has been amazing the past couple of months. We survive the long days in the office with a morning walk, or some mornings a bike ride. We appreciate the city of Vitoria`s investment in bike stations. We signed up for a year and use a cellphone app to check-out the bikes. A few weeks ago we were riding down the elevator with four missionaries to go to lunch. One of them noticed Elder Burkinshaw's FitBit watch, so he showed them what it would do. They were very impressed that we had already done 10,000 steps that day and it was only noon while their day was just getting started. Our 5:30am walk is pretty impressive to the younger crowd but for us it is a matter of mental survival.

The "Bike Vitória" app shows all the stations where bikes are available on the island city of Vitória. You can click on the Bikes and Available radio buttons to see where there are bikes.

One of the "Bike Vitória" stations in the early morning hours when we walk and sometimes bike.

Sister Burkinshaw with her reading glasses sitting at her desk in the mission office. Notice the large painting on the wall of the baptism of Christ. It has a sandy texture which is unique, but descriptive of the area.

Sister Burkinshaw with a view of Elder Burkinshaw in the mission office.

The baptism of Tatiana with (l to r) Elder A. Pereira (São Paulo), Elder Andrade (Cabo Verde), Tatiana, Elder Oliveira (Curitiba), Elder Conde (São Paul) and Gustavo Rosa, who returned from his mission about one year ago.

We enjoy the opportunity to feed some of the young missionaries and Subway is one of their favorite places. From left to right, Elder Garcia (Campina Grande near Recife), Elder Lake (Austin,TX but family has since moved to Spanish Fork) , Elder Burkinshaw, Elder T. Santos (Aracaju, Sergipe) and Elder Lugarani (Chubut, Argentina).

Elder and Sister Burkinshaw with Elder Jacundá (Anapolis, Goias near Brasilia) and Elder Gibby (Lone Tree, Colorado - south Denver) before going to lunch. Elder Jacundá completed his degree in architecture before leaving on his mission.

When we take the missionaries to renew their visas at the Polícia Federal in the Shopping Praia da Costa Mall, we also take them to lunch and McDonalds is a favorite. Left to right Elder Gabriel (Pernambuco, near Recife), Elder Davis (Lewisville, TX - Dallas area), Elder Lake (Spanish Fork, UT) and Elder Haymore (Pilot Mountain, North Carolina).

Sister Albrecht (Cleveland) with new convert Claudicé and Sister Vieira (São José de Ribamar, Maranhão - along the northern coast of Brasil). Sister Albrecht and Sister Vieira serve in the ward we attend - Maruipe.

Sister and Elder Burkinshaw with Elder A Silva on his last Sunday before returning to his home in Santarem, Para near Manaus.

Elder A Pereira (left) and Elder Conde holding his nose (right) in honor of Elder A Silva who is returning home. They hold their nose because they always refer to missionaries finishing their mission as "dead" with the attendant "odor".

Elder and Sister Burkinshaw with Sister Camelo at the Vitória Airport as she prepares to return home to Brasilia.

From the mission home living room looking out at the beach, President Young instructs the missionaries who arrived that morning from the São Paulo MTC (CTM in Portugues).

The Maruipe Ward normally holds what is know as a festa junina (June Festival) but because of scheduling conflicts, it became a festa julina (July Festival). Here Elder Burkinshaw sits at the door to hand out tickets for food.

Here are some of the kids in Caipira (Brazilian hillbilly) costumes for the Festa Julina,

Here are some of the youth in Caipira costumes - very cute.

The Frances and Tatiana Ulfeldt Family invited us to a family home evening at their home. The lesson was on families and the activity was to cut out paper dolls, at which Elder Burkinshaw excelled!

After creating the family, Elder Burkinshaw labeled it. Notice the heart-shapes between the individuals! Very clever!! Instructions were in the July Ensign and Liahona.

Following a visa renewal at the Polícia Federal, here were are at lunch with Elder Light (from Wasilla, Alaska) and Elder Januncdá (from Goiás)

On P-Day, these Sister Missionaries got up at 4:00am to climb the Morro do Moreno and watch the sunrise. However, they didn't make lunch plans and they were starving so they called us and we met them at Subway! Left to right Sister Ochoa (Veracruz, Mexico), Sister Martins (São Paulo), Sister Costa (São Paulo), Sister Bunderston (St. Louis, MO), Sister Schell (Winston-Salem, NC) and Sister Barros (Pacajus, Ceará near Fortaleza). They ate with avidity!

On a Saturday afternoon, we assisted with a Mini-CTM (MTC Missionary Training Center) for the youth of the Vitória ward. Here they are with their leaders, complete with their mock-name tags.

Here are the future missionaries of the Vitória Ward at the Mini-CTM activity.

Near the end of our morning walk, we saw a huge cable-laying ship leaving Vitória harbor. You can see the huge spools of polyethylene pipe at the rear that used as conduit to carry undersea cable.

We presented a family home evening lessons about family history at the home of the Curitiba Family who had recently been baptized. Their home is on the hill (morro) between the church and downtown (centro) Vitória.

The family home evening selfie with the Curitiba Family. For treats we had pãozinhos (small french bread buns) with salsicha (cut up hot-dogs in a tasty sauce) and Sister Burkinshaw´s chocolate cookies.

As we were departing from the Curitiba Family home, we took a picture of the beautiful view of the city of Vitória at night. The Terçeira Ponte (bridge) is in the upper right hand corner.

Some of the Curitiba Family and Elder Burkinshaw with the lights of Vit[oria in the background. At night the members walk us from their homes to a central locations to catch a taxi which we appreciate because it is dark and can be a little unsafe.

Elder Burkinshaw is keeping in practice by entertaining 20 month-old Pietro in Sacrament meeting while his mother, Luciana directs the music while Sister Burkinshaw plays the organ and his father, Pedro, who is in the Bishopric, sits on the stand. We are the Caldas family´s home teachers. The old bouncing-knee puts them to sleep every time. ;-)

Sister Burkinshaw often gets to play the piano for primary. Since her phone has her scriptures it goes with her to primary. After primary she found lots of selfie pictures on the phone from this little cutie.

Este é outro selfie desta linda garotinha.

We attended a Brazilian wedding this week for a returned missionary in the Maruipe ward. Sister Burkinshaw was asked to play the piano for the musical numbers. Members here are first married civilly and then travel to the Temple to be sealed. The evening was nice (much like a post sealing reception in the States), but there is a definite contrast between the civil ceremony and the temple sealing.

Sister Burkinshaw at the piano and Pedro on the violin while Pedro's wife Luciana sang. We did "A Thousand Years" and "What Heaven Sees in You". Pedro and Luciana are very talented and we enjoy working with them both musically and as home teachers.

We finished the week with the Vitória Stake Conference. Sister Burkinshaw again had the opportunity to play for the Vitória Ward choir (and the request always comes with Elder Burkinshaw helping the bass section) who sang during the Sunday morning session. Area seventy, Elder Moroni B. Torgan, presided over the conference and we decided he was much like listening to Elder LeGrand Richards, speaking without notes and quoting scripture with detailed reference to book, chapter and verse. He spoke Saturday evening on the Atonement and Sunday morning on the teachings of baptism from the New Testament ending with an invitation to study the truths and ask in prayer if they are true.

President Young had the opportunity to speak during the Saturday evening session. During his few minutes, he invited all the Bishops to the front of the chapel and face the congregation. He then presented them each with a small bag of M&M's. He sang the following little song and then had the congregation stand and sing it with him.

President continues to emphasis confirmation to the missionaries. At times we have baptisms by water, but the individual is never confirmed and therefore never becomes a member of the church and never has the opportunity to progress. The Prophet Joseph Smith taught, "Baptism by water is but half a baptism, and is good for nothing without the other half--that is, the baptism of the Holy Ghost."